The Ten O'Clock People
| "The Ten O'Clock People" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen King |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Published in | Nightmares & Dreamscapes |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | Viking Adult |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Publication date | 1993 |
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Ten O'Clock People is a short story by Stephen King published in the Nightmares & Dreamscapes collection. Unlike many of King's stories which take place in fictional places like Castle Rock, Maine, "Ten O'Clock People" takes place in the distinctly recognizable Boston, Massachusetts.
[edit] Plot summary
The main character, Pearson, is a smoker trying hard to quit for health reasons. He discovers a horrible aspect of reality that only those attempting to quit like him are capable of seeing - that many of the people living among us in positions of power, including many police officers and political figures and even the Vice President of the United States, are in fact inhuman monsters disguised as people. A unique chemical imbalance, caused by his smoking only on his morning break (thus the reference to Ten O' Clock in the title) makes him able to see the true nature of these creatures through their disguises. When Pearson first notices one of them, a young black man named Dudley "Duke" Rhinemann stops him from screaming and calms him down.
Dudley later explains that if Pearson wants to live, he must go about his day as usual and meet him at 3 o'clock after work. Pearson does as he is told and discovers that his boss is also one of the "batmen". He leaves work a bit shaken, meets Dudley and goes to a bar with him. After explaining that smokers trying to quit are the only ones who see them, Dudley invites Pearson to a meeting of those who can see the "batmen".
Shortly after arriving, the leader of the group says he has "big news" for them all. Pearson, who already had some suspicion about the idolized leader realizes the man is stalling for time. He gives warning. The leader then says the batmen have granted them amnesty, but soon after a horde of them attack those in the meeting. Many die. Pearson, along with two others, manage to escape the meeting. The trio flee to Omaha and form a new resistance group of 'Ten O'Clock People'. This group successfully kills many 'batmen'.
[edit] References
King references Raymond Chandler in the story, as to disguise the real reason of the meeting, they claim to be Raymond Chandler enthusiasts '(Hardboiled Yegs)'.
Raymond Chandler wrote Private Detective novels in a Noir genre. The Ten O'Clock People is also written in this style. Plus, the main character, Pearson, is from Medford. In the film Double Indemnity, which Raymond Chandler adapted for film, one of the characters Mr. Jackson, mentions several times that he is from Medford, Oregon.
In the book's ending notes, King relates that this story had one of the shortest gestation periods of any of his pieces—he conceived and wrote it feverishly over a mere three days.
[edit] Adaptations
In May 2011 Filmmaker EJ Meyers acquired the rights to adapt "The Ten O'Clock People" into a feature film, which is scheduled to be released in 2012. The film's plot is a modernization of King's original story but is still faithful to the subject matter, and will star Eddie Cibrian (CSI:Miami), Clayton Watson (Matrix trilogy), and Garrett Hedlund (Friday Night Lights).
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